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Cleaveland: Vols, Huskies agree it's time play again By Roger Cleaveland Republican-American

West players, from left, Candace Parker, of the Los Angeles Sparks, Diana Taurasi, of the Phoenix Mercury and Kristi Toliver, of the Sparks, look toward fans before the WNBA All-Star basketball game in Uncasville, Conn., Saturday, July 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

UNCASVILLE -- For one afternoon, women's basketball had the perfect stage to show people just how good the sport can be as ABC broadcast the WNBA All-Star game from a sold-out Mohegan Sun Arena.

The 9,323 fans in attendance and a national TV audience witnessed the L.A. Sparks' Candace Parker as she drained jumpers, beat defenders off the dribble and knifed through the lane for acrobatic layups. The 6-foot-4 Parker finished with 23 points on 10-for-13 shooting, 11 rebounds and the MVP trophy.

There were other noteworthy performances for the West during its 102-98 victory Saturday. Kristi Toliver scored 21 on 8-for-13 shooting, and Maya Moore was 6-for-12 for 14 points, five rebounds and three assists. The East was led by Ivory Latta and Epiphanny Prince with 15 points apiece.

The fact that neither team shot better than 50 percent in a game in which little defense was played, however, detracted from the entertainment value. Also, the WNBA's best rivalry exists between Minnesota and L.A., which amicably shared most of the West's roster.

If you are not going to dazzle with brilliant athleticism and skill, you need some animosity to stir things up.

The best the WNBA could offer in that regard came after the game when Parker and Diana Taurasi weighed in on reports their alma maters, Tennessee and UConn, have reportedly discussed renewing the most intense rivalry in women's basketball.

The Huskies and Lady Vols played 22 times between 1995 and 2007, with UConn holding a 13-9 edge. When Pat Summitt refused to extend the series, the animosity made it appear they'd never play again.

Second-year Tennessee coach Holly Warlick recently told The Associated Press, however, that she had approached UConn about resuming the series. UConn has made no official response, but you can bet that if the Lady Vols publicly accept responsibility for halting the series, the Huskies will play.

It would be perfect for women's basketball for its two best programs (apologies to the WNBA) to amicably patch things up. The defending national champion Huskies certainly don't need the game, but it would be good for the sport overall.

"Yeah, but I think (the Lady Vols) have to make it to a Final Four first, and then we will play them," Taurasi said Saturday. "I don't see how it wouldn't benefit both teams and women's basketball. When I think back on being young, those were the two teams I wanted to watch play."

Taurasi said her favorite rivalry memory was her 32-point performance in a 14-point win at Tennessee. She punched the orange basketball stanchion after a key basket because she "just had to punch something orange."

"I think it's time," Taurasi said. "If I have to wear orange (her All-Star uniform), it is the least they can do is give us that game back. It is classic. When you hear UConn-Tennessee, that just really brings up a lot of really good memories of really intense matchups. If they can make that happen again, I think it would benefit both states, both schools, both programs."

Parker, who played perhaps the best game ever by a Huskies' opponent at UConn with a 30-point effort, including a dunk, in a 70-64 victory at the XL Center in 2007, agreed that rekindling the rivalry would benefit the game. She said a good, old-fashioned deep-seated hatred akin to what the Celtics and Lakers once had is always good for sports.

"There are people that I haven't even met that are Connecticut fans that just despise me just because I wore orange," Parker said. "I have Tennessee fans that come up to me and tell me they despise UConn, and they have never even met a UConn player. So I think it is important. ... It creates more talk about it, and it helps women's basketball."

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